Indebted to the Mafia King
Scorching the Earth

Tony

I warned Chloe not to even try and convince me of doing anything else other than going after Mateo and his men. I'd been doing my best to act cautiously, to consider every single possible outcome from this war, but after he ambushed Chloe at the safehouse, making her fight for her life, it left me blind with rage. My guilt didn't help, either.

I was so relieved when I found her on that dark street, wearing nothing but a robe covered in blood, that I could have cried when I held her in my arms. She felt so small, so vulnerable within my embrace that the monster dormant inside me snapped to life, and I simply couldn't put this aside any longer.

Even if I die, even if I don't get to see her one last time, I will make sure to take Mateo down with me, so he never has the chance to lay a hand on my wife again. Or my daughter, for that matter.

"Do I really have to go with Cal?" Chloe's sweet voice asks from the bed, making me take my eyes off the phone and look at her.

I promised her I'd wait for Cal's men to arrive before I left so she didn't have to sit here by herself, especially after going through something so traumatic a few hours ago. It was the only thing I could do. I could never leave her alone in this motel room, either. I have to see with my own eyes that she is inside Cal's car before I leave and move on with my plan.

My priority is to make sure she's safe.

"We already talked about it, Chloe," I reply with a sigh. "It's the best thing for everyone now. Ellie and your mom are already on their way to the city. Don't you want to be with them?"

"Yes!" she answers, her tone a bit worked up with frustration. "But I also want to be with you!"

Her words cause something within me to stir, but I push it back. I don't have time for this right now. I want to mention our conversation back at the house, apologize for leaving the way I did, for being a fucking coward and not tell her that I feel the same way...

But when I open my mouth to retort, my phone buzzes in my pocket with a message from Cal.

'The lads just got there. Black Mercedes Sprinter, New York City plate.'

I look up at Chloe. "Come on. They're here," I inform her instead, receiving a huff from her in response.

I ignore it, hating myself for having to do it like this. If anything, I'm the one dreading the idea of separating from her again. But like I told her, at this moment, this is the best option we have.

We open the door, and after peeking outside and making sure the way is clear, I guide her toward the vehicle. We're greeted by Cal's second, who I instantly recognize from my meetings at his bar.

He slides the door open for Chloe, and she climbs in, glancing at me with a look of pain and sorrow in her eyes that threatens to break my heart. Again.

So, I look away, not wanting to see that look turn into hatred as I send her away.

"Send me reports, constantly," I request from the guys seated on each side of Chloe. They nod at me, and I close the door, not daring to throw her a last glance.

After I send them off, I rush to my car and drive out of the motel parking lot and toward the hospital. I need to check on my injured men and get an update on the situation first.

As soon as I step into the hospital a few minutes later, and get to the secluded area where my men are being treated, I bump into Sal, who's not even trying to hide the concern from his face.

"Boss," he greets me with a sharp nod as he approaches me, his hands in his pockets.

"Any news?" I ask right away.

"Dice is under observation, but he's still expected to be released tonight. Max is in surgery right now. His situation isn't good," he says darkly.

I clench my teeth, my hands balling into fists beside me. "Do we know what the fuck actually happened? How did they get past us like that?" I press, still not understanding how they managed to cut our internal communication and get into the house so easily.

Sal shrugs slightly, looking guilty and sorry at the same time. "Dice said they were snuck up on right after you left, almost as if they were waiting for you to be out of the way. They must have followed you or hacked into our intel system. There's no way they could have known Chloe was by herself at the house if they weren't watching our every move."

"Is it possible that we have a mole?" I urge, looking him in the eye.

But he shakes his head eagerly. "I don't think so, Boss."

Having a mole would be the easiest explanation for what occurred. Deep down, I wanted it to be that, so I wouldn't have myself and my poor security system to blame. In all truth, the reality is that I hate to admit that I failed.

As a mafia leader, as a man, and especially, as a husband.

It's gnawing at me how greatly I fucked up this time.

"I only want my capos to know the whole plan moving forward. The others only get the essential information from now on, at least until we get Mateo in our hands," I demand, lowering my voice even though the hallway is empty. "Yes, Boss," Sal agrees with another sharp nod. "We already got a few on the ground, looking for the car spotted chasing Chloe."

I take a deep breath, taking in all the information and storing it in my brain. I look around, seeing a nurse coming out of a room at the end of the hallway, her gaze diverting to the other side almost immediately after our eyes meet. "What about the hospital staff?" I turn back to stare at Sal.

"The doctor and the nurses taking care of them were easily persuaded to look the other way," he explains confidently.

"Not a chance of the police jump scaring you while you're here?" I ask.

"Not a chance," he assures me.

"Good. But if they do, get the fuck out. We'll replace a way to free Dice and Max afterward," I order. "Let me know when he is out of surgery."

"Sure thing, Boss."

I dart from the hospital and head back to my car, dialing Cal on the way.

I feel trapped in a fucking dilemma, wanting to be with Chloe and make sure she and Ellie are okay, but also wanting to have Mateo's body six feet below ground.

If only I could be in two places at the same time....

"Give me some good news," I request as soon as I hear the call has been picked up.

"Blondie's on the plane already, and the baby and angry Italian mama are already at my bar," Cal tells me, the usual hint of amusement in his voice gone.

A sigh of relief escapes my lips. I've never felt more grateful to Cal than right now. To imagine he was considered an enemy in the past, and now, to have my entire world in his hands. "Please let me know when she arrives," I ask quietly, not having the strength in me anymore to pretend I'm strong. All I wanted was to have a fucking day without a problem to solve. "Don't worry, lad."

I hang up, resting my head on the headrest of the driver's seat and closing my eyes for a minute.

For me to be able to fight Mateo, I need to have my head in the right place. I can't be distracted. I can't be thinking about Chloe and the long list of regrets I have where she is concerned.

It's a list that only keeps growing and growing. I now have a new regret to add to it-the regret of not telling her the truth about how I feel.

About how I fucking fell in love with her. About how my crush on her turned into this gigantic, frightening, painful, and undeniable feeling that I can't control or shake off, no matter how hard I try. About how it makes me want to go to the ends of the earth to make sure she is well and happy. About how it makes me want to protect her at all costs, doing everything in my power just to see that pretty smile of hers.

About how, for the first time in my entire life, it makes me reconsider my life choices.

My job.

My position as the head of the family....

My phone buzzes, and I open my eyes, replaceing Armando's name flashing back at me. "Yes?" I answer.

"We have a location for Mateo's car, Boss."